Improvement in harvesters



if I

` NITE VAfter i CYItIL-B. WAGNER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS.

Vmanner in which I have arranged and combined the frame and tongue withregard to the supporting and driving wheels, whereby the construction ofthe frame and the parts immediately connected to it is simplied and mademore effective in yielding to the inequalities of the ground withoutaffecting materially the position of the cutters thereto.

To enable others skilled inthe art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe the same with reference to the draw-- ings.

Arepresents a rectangular frame,` supported near its center on the axleO of the main supporting and driving wheel D, so that the said frame andthe parts connected to it may have their center of motion at or near aline drawn longitudinally through the axle C.

To the outside longitudinal pieces of the frame A, and at or near theline of the axle C, as shown at c, I connect by a hinged joint the sidepieces of a frame, B, to the front cross bar of which frame I attach thetongue E, so

placed or adjusted as to counteract side draft.

The tongue, throughits frame B, can thus .play up and down withoutaffecting in the least the frame A, and theframe A may, in turn, moveupon its resting-points without affecting the tongue, because both pivotaty or near the center of the supporting-wheel D, which point remainsalways the same.

On one face of the rim ofthe supporting and driving wheel D are thebeveled cogs b, which take into a beveled pinion, F, on a crankshaft, G,and give motion to said wheel and shaft, as `will be described. Theshaft G is supported on the frame A, and the bevel-spur F is secured tothe said shaft bya groove and feather, so that by means of a clutch, c,lever d, and stop e said pinion may be thrown into or out of gear withthe main driving-wheelD, and there held, atpleasure. The pinion F being,as before mentioned, suppbrted on the A frame A, and the frame rollingor moving on the axle C, of course the pinion must roll on the gears b,which it can readily do, and still mesh with them, so .that the workingof the frame A in no wise affects the vibration of the cutters, as thepinion F is always in gear with D.

To the crank f on the .end of the shaftv G is attached one end of thepitmanH, the other end of the said pitman being connected to the upperend of a lever, Ipivoted to the frame, and the lower end of said lever I(which is the long arm of the lever) is attached to the cutter-bar, andthrough these devices the cutters J are vibrated through or over the'heels of the fingers K. The fingers K, underneath the cutting-blades,are rounded out so as to present a trough-like appearance, and at theirrear openings are made to their sides, so that the' gum or moisture fromthe grass or other choking or clogging particles may pass off throughsaid trough and openings.

vL is the outside shoe or divider, and M a track-clearer for turning thecut grain or grass away from that which is left standing. The

tops of the cutting-blades J are just iiush with the plate N behindthem, and which holds them to the bar, so that anything falling upon thecutters themselves does not have to rise up to pass over the bar. O isthe other shoe, at the opposite end of the bar from L, and P a shieldhinged to the frame A, so that it will protect the working parts behindit when dropped down, but which can be swungup out of the way when themachine is to be taken apart to change, repair, or vsharpen the cutters.The cutter and finger beam is prop'- erly braced to the frame, so as togive it` the necessary strength to resist the action of the cuttersagainst the material they are cutting.

The heavier parts ofthe machine being located behind thesupporting-wheel D, an additionalpivoted guiding and supporting wheel,Q, is placed there also, to hold up these parts from the ground. rIheshank R of the wheelY Q may have a series of, holes through it, so

that by a pin the hind end ofthe machine may be raised up or let down,as it may beL desirable to cut nearer to or farther from the ground. Theraising or loweringof the frame has no tendency to throw the pinion Fout of gear with the Wheel D. It only` changes its radial position as tothe main Wheel.

It will be perceived that there is but a single gear-Wheel between themain Wheel and the cutters, thatralthough this single Wheel is connectedto a rigid frame which may play up and down at its ends, yet it alwaysremains in gear With the main Wheel, and that neither vthe unsteadinessof the horses nor the inequalities in the ground, nor yet the vibratingof the frame upon its supports, have any injurious effect upon thecutters, for, should the main wheel drop into a hole or gulley, the rearWheel, Q,Will still keep up the rear ofthe machine, While the frame Willmerely oscillate on its bearings, rolling the pinion F upon the gears b,and the tongue not being iniiuenced by the dropping of the front of theframe, no effect is had upon the horses, and thus the whole machine isso arranged that any unfavorable position of any one of the parts shallnot be conveyed to another part. Besides, by giving this advantage tothe several parts, I actually am enabled to simplify materially theconstruction of` the machine, dispensing with much unnecessary gearing,and making the machine more eective, at a great reduction of its Weightand cost.

Figure 2 represents a transverse section through the cutter, cutter-bar,and ngers, and on an enlarged scale, wherein is shown a chamber orreceptacle, n, behind the ngers, for containing a sponge saturated withoil, or any other lubricating compound, for keeping the cutter-bar Jconstantly oiled. The pieces i on the cutter-bar, Fig. l, fit againstthe dovetail o, Fig. 2, on the under side of the cutter-plate, to keepit from rising, While it may freely play through the fingers.

Having thus fully described the nature of my invention, What I claimtherein as new, and

desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In combination with the main supporting and driving'wheel D and the mainframe A and its supporting-Wheel Q, the tongue-frame B, so united thatthe motion of one shall not injuriously affect the action of the others,as set forth.

f CYRIL B. VAGNER.

Witnesses:

`WM. HINKLE, XVILLIAMS OGLE.

